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The United Nations (UN) recently released a reportaccusing Myanmar’s military of committing genocide. Since August 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar, have fled persecution and violence by the Myanmar military to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The UN also called for Myanmar’s generals to face trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

One of the most pressing issues in the region that Indonesia must deal with as a non-permanent Security Council member is the Rohingya crisis.

Analysts have suggested Indonesia should take the role of “a mediator and leader” in resolving this crisis.

But, given its dual role as ASEAN member state and Security Council non-permanent member, Indonesia will face huge challenges if it wants to act on APHR’s call to bring the Rohingya case to the ICC. For a start, Indonesia’s status as a non-party to the ICC Rome Statute might be problematic.

If Indonesia, in Abdulkadir Jailani’s words, would like to make “a noteworthy contribution … in creating peace”, then the new Security Council non-permanent member must play a key role in encouraging the international community and the Security Council to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Canadian troops arrive to a UN base in Gao, Mali, on in June 2018, amid an insurgency by jihadist and ethnic rebel groups. Canada has yet to impose sanctions on the African country because it lacks names to target for asset freezes and other measures.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick